Spring wire clip-type specimen stand

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to a spring wire clip for attachment to small plate-like metallurgical specimens and similar articles for the purpose of supporting them in free standing condition on one edge, such clip being characterized by a length of spring wire bent at a point midway between the ends thereof to produce a V-shaped crotch joining together a pair of oppositely bent generally S-shaped limbs. Each of these limbs includes a leg and a foot joined by a heel that defines a contact point which engages a face of the specimen with the limbs astraddle thereof. The feet diverge and their free ends produce toes that rest atop the supporting surface and engage same at spaced points on opposite sides of the specimen. The heels are normally spring-biased into contact with one another or opposite faces of a specimen inserted therebetween. With the limbs astraddle the specimen and the toes in contact with the supporting surface, the clip can either be tilted until the crotch seats atop the upper edge of the specimen or, alternatively, it can be left in an upright position where the crotch becomes a convenient appendage for the attachment of an electrical lead or the like. The clip preferably has opposed parallel flat faces at the heels effective to engage and hold the specimen even if the limbs are slightly misaligned transversely.

In the analysis of metallurgical specimens, the material to be analyzed is first cut into a small more or less rectangular plate which is usually about an inch long, somewhat less than an inch wide and anywhere from under a thousandth of an inch thick up to one thick enough to stand alone. Such a plate is then supported in upright position resting on one of its side edges while being permanently imbedded and cast into a block of suitable plastic material. The specimen along with its stand will usually end up encapsulated within a rigid cylinder of plastic in position such that the edge upon which it rested lies flush with one of its right truncated ends. Then, just prior to being subjected to micro or macro examination, the end of the block containing the edge of the specimen will be ground off flat to expose the latter and then polished. In some instances, the edge of the specimen thus exposed will be electrochemically etched by immersing the bottom surface of the assembly in an etching solution while passing an electrical current through the specimen itself.

Now, it is a stand for holding the specimen erect on one edge while it is being encapsulated that forms the subject matter of the present invention. This same clip may be employed to perform the additional function of an electrical conductor to conduct current from an outside power source into the encapsulated specimen when the latter is going to be electrochemically etched.

Spring clips for the primary purpose of holding the specimen upright on edge while being encapsulated have been known in the prior art for some time, the most widely used one consisting of a coil of spring metal ribbon a few thousandths of an inch thick and about a quarter of an inch wide. This single coil has about half of it unwound and rewound into a second coil alongside the first, the two of which receive the specimen therebetween in book-end like fashion. While thus supported in upright position gripped between the adjacent oppositely wound spring coils of the stand, the specimen and stand are encapsulated in the usual way.

Unfortunately, the spring coil-type specimen stand has a few shortcomings that render it less than satisfactory for its intended purpose. First of all, with the coils disposed at one end of the specimen, it becomes extremely difficult to polish it uniformly over its entire length, the latter being a condition which is highly desirable.

Another problem is that of having the convolutions of the coils tangent to the sides of the specimen along the edge thereof being examined. Here again, this is not considered good metallurgical practice.

The other major problem is one of air bubble entrapment between the closely-wound convolutions of the coils and, more importantly, between the intermost convolution and the face of the specimen it contacts. The presence of bubbles and the voids resulting therefrom are not conducive to a good examination and, therefore, are to be avoided.

It has now been found in accordance with the teaching of the instant invention that these and other shortcomings of the prior art coiled-ribbon specimen stands can be eliminated by the simple, yet unobvious expedient of straddling and gripping the specimen between the limbs of a uniquely-shaped hairpin-like spring wire clip, the terminal ends of which are spread apart cooperating with one another and the specimen itself to define a tripod-like stand. The two, or at most three, points at which the clip engages the specimen are all remote from the polished or etched edge being examined. Also, those portions of the clip immediately adjacent the contact points are all steeply inclined relative thereto so as to virtually eliminate the pockets where air bubbles are likely to form. Furthermore, the clip is ideally suited for use with specimens that will be electrochemically etched as it can be mounted thereon so as to provide an external appendage projecting beyond the mounting block to which an electrical lead can be attached for the transmission of current to the specimen.

Accordingly, it is the principal object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved spring clip-type wire stand for use in supporting metallurgical specimens and the like in an upright position on one edge.

A second objective is the provision of a device of the type aforementioned wherein the points of contact between the clip and specimen are nowhere near the edge of the latter being examined.

Another object of the invention herein disclosed and claimed is to provide a specimen clip which is devoid of structures which, either alone or in combination with the specimen, are susceptible of entrapping air.

Still another objective is the provision of a clip of the character described that is ideally suited for use as a conductor of those specimens which will be electrochemically etched.

An additional object is to provide a specimen clip that has no portion thereof contacting the edge to be examined or interfering with the polishing of the latter.

Further objects are to provide a spring wire clip-type holder for use as a specimen stand that is simple, inexpensive, lightweight, easy to install, versatile, dependable, rugged, foolproof and even somewhat decorative in appearance.

Other objects will be in part apparent and in part pointed out specifically hereinafter in connection with the description of the drawings that follows, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view, the right half of the block encapsulating the specimen having been truncated in the plane of the clip to more clearly reveal the latter;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view;

FIG. 3 is a right side elevation;

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view;

FIG. 5 is a vertical section taken along line 5--5 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional detail to an enlarged scale taken along line 6--6 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view like FIG. 1 except that it shows a slightly modified version of the clip mounted on the specimen in an upright position with the crotch thereof projecting outside the block to receive an electrical lead;

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the modification of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a bottom plan view;

FIG. 10 is a right side elevation;

FIG. 11 is a vertical section taken along line 11--11 of FIG. 10; and,

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary section to an enlarged scale taken along line 12--12 of FIG. 11.

Referring next to the drawings for a detailed description of the present invention and, initially, to FIGS. 1-6 for this purpose, reference numeral 10 has been chosen to represent the mounted and encapsulated specimen as a whole while numeral 12 broadly designates the clip by itself and numeral 14 the specimen mounted therein. In the particular form shown, the specimen constitutes a small rectangular plate of metal to be micro or macroscopically examined although the clip of the present invention is equally well suited for use in supporting other types of articles of a similar size and shape such as, for example, a specimen taken from printed circuit boards and the like. Be that as it may, the clip 12 finds its maximum utility when used as a means for holding metallurgical specimens while they are being encapsulated.

Clip 12 of FIGS. 1-6 and clip 12M of FIGS. 7-12 have the same shape and are identical to one another except for the cross section of the spring wire from which they are fabricated, that of FIGS. 1-6 being generally rectangular, whereas, the wire of FIGS. 7-12 being round. In either event, the clips preferably include opposed parallel flats 16 at the points of contact with the sides 18 of the specimen 14 for a purpose that will be explained in greater detail presently in connection with FIGS. 6 and 12.

FIGS. 1, 2, 7 and 11 most clearly reveal the shape of clip 12 and it will be seen to comprise a length of spring wire bent at a point midway between its ends to define a V-shaped crotch 20 at the juncture between a pair of oppositely bent, but otherwise identical, generally S-shaped limbs which have been indicated generally by reference numeral 22. Each limb 22, in turn, has an arched or angled leg 24 terminating in an outturned foot 26. At the juncture between the leg and foot is what will be denominated herein as a "heel" 28, for lack of a more descriptive term, that constitutes the contact point between the limbs and the sides 18 of the specimen. At the opposite end of each foot 26 is a "toe" 30 that rests upon the supporting surface at a point spaced to one side of the bottom edge 32 of the specimen which is the one that will undergo micro or macroscopic examination in due course. In the particular form shown, the legs 24 are bent into dogleg configurations so that they cooperate to produce a pair of divergent leg portions 34 spreading out from the crotch 20 at an acute angle relative to one another and a pair of convergent leg portions 36 coming back together at heels 28. The aforementioned dogleg configuration is by no means critical and a simple smoothly curved or arched leg will suffice just as well as in the absence of the angle at the knee 38. It is significant, however, that the legs stay well spaced from the specimen except for the points of contact within the crotch or at the heels to minimize air bubble entrapment. Note that both feet 26 also turn out away from the specimen and thus also minimize any tendency for air entrapment. Even more important, however, is the stability provided by the widespread toes.

Now, when using the clip with specimens that are not going to be electro-chemically etched, the elements are assembled in the manner shown in FIGS. 1-6, inclusive, to which reference will once again be made. The limbs 22 are first placed astraddle the specimen by passing one of the side edges therebetween. Next, the clip is tilted down until the top edge seats in the crotch 20 as shown. It may be necessary to slide the clip forward toward one end in order for the crotch to engage the edge as shown. Finally, with the bottom edge of the specimen resting on a suitable flat horizontal supporting surface, it is only necessary to push the feet down until the toes 30 come to rest against the latter to complete the stand. With the feet 26 thus engaged with the supporting surface at spaced points alongside the specimen, they cooperate with one another and with the specimen itself to define a free-standing tripod. Also, the crotch 20 constitutes the apex of an isosceles triangle drawn through the points at which the toes 30 contact the supporting surface. The heels 28 engage the sides of the specimen so as to maintain same half way between the toes or bisecting the angle that the divergent leg portions 34 form at the crotch. It is in this way that the specimen is maintained perpendicular to the supporting surface provided, of course, that both limbs are identical mirror images of one another which is preferred.

Now, there is always the possibility that the limbs of the clip will become bent into a skewed relation such that they will no longer be coplanar and occupy positions relative to one another like that shown in broken lines in FIGS. 5 and 6. Should this occur, its effect will be merely one of tilting the specimen to one side or the other of true vertical until both toes rest upon the supporting surface. Such a condition, while best to avoid, is not particularly serious as the specimen cannot fall over so long as its upper margin is securely seated in the crotch.

While on this subject of the limbs being skewed out of coplanar relation, brief reference will be made to FIG. 12 where this condition has more serious consequences. If, perchance, the limbs 22 of clip 12M are skewed as indicated by broken lines in FIGS. 8, 9, 10 and 12, the tendency will be for the specimen to twist (clockwise in FIG. 6 and counterclockwise in FIGS. 9 and 12) due to the fact that the upper edge of the specimen is no longer seated in the crotch. To overcome this tendency, the clip can be either fabricated from wire shaped to provide opposed parallel flat faces 18 at the heels such as the rectangular cross section wire of FIGS. 1-6 or, alternatively, these flat faces may be added later by, for instance, quickly passing a thin double-surfaced grinding wheel or the like therebetween. The flat faces thus produced or provided by the wire itself are effective to maintain the specimen in the full line position shown even though the limbs are askew slightly. Of course, if the limbs are so far askew that they spring past one another into crossed relation, the clip should probably either be straightened or discarded although it can be made to work.

In FIGS. 7 through 11 to which detailed reference will now be made, clip 12M made out of round wire is shown mounted astraddle the specimen in a fully upright as opposed to an inclined position so that the crotch 20 thereof projects above the relatively shorter block plastic block 40M as compared to block 40 which encapsulates the specimen and clip 12 to the FIGS. 1-6 version. The portion of the clip thus left protruding above the top surface of the modified assembly 10M provides a convenient means for attaching an electrical conductor 42. For purposes of simplicity of illustration, the conductor shown has been soldered to the clip at 44 to provide a current path to the specimen 14, although obviously, other types of electrical connections can be used, temporary ones being the more common. With the assembly immersed in an electrochemical etching solution at least to a depth sufficient to cover the exposed lower edge of the specimen as well as the toes 30 of the clip, an electrical circuit is, of course, completed. Such a procedure is simple and far less time consuming than drilling into the block and into the specimen preparatory to inserting a screw or other contact into the latter. The protruding crotch 20 also cooperates with the adjacent surface of the block to define an eyelet 46 which constitutes a convenient appendage for emersing it in the etch solution. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A clip for standing metallurgical specimens on edge while being encapsulated which comprises: a length of spring wire bent at a point midway between its ends to produce a V-shaped crotch joining a pair of substantially identical but oppositely curved generally S-shaped limbs in side-by-side relation, said limbs including oppositely arched portions diverging from the crotch and converging at points remote therefrom to define a pair of heels biased into engagement with one another and adapted to squeeze a plate-like specimen therebetween, and said limbs including foot-like portions diverging from the heels that terminate in spaced toes positionable in coplanar relation with a point on the bottom edge of the specimen misaligned therewith to define a tripod stand therefor.
 2. The specimen clip as set forth in claim 1 in which: the limbs are mirror-images of one another.
 3. The specimen clip as set forth in claim 1 in which: the crotch is positioned and adapted upon tiltable movement of the clip with its limbs astraddle the specimen to seat atop thereof and cooperate therewith and with the toes to maintain said specimen in an upright position on the supporting surface upon which it rests.
 4. The specimen clip as set forth in claim 1 in which: the limbs are substantially coplanar.
 5. The specimen clip as set forth in claim 1 in which: the knees include exposed contacting surfaces shaped to engage opposite parallel faces of the specimen and maintain same in upright position therebetween without the crotch being seated atop thereof and the limbs askew.
 6. The specimen clip as set forth in claim 1 in which: the arched portions have a dogleg configuration.
 7. The specimen clip as set forth in claim 1 in which: the distance separating the plane of the toes from the crotch is greater than the height of the specimen to be supported therebetween for positioning said crotch in spaced relation above the latter.
 8. The specimen clip as set forth in claim 3 in which: the limbs are substantially coplanar so as to cooperate with one another and with the crotch when seated atop the specimen to maintan the latter in perpendicular position relative to the supporting surface upon which it rests.
 9. The specimen clip as set forth in claim 5 in which: the limbs are coplanar and the opposed contacting surfaces make essentially spaced parallel line contact with the specimen.
 10. The specimen clip as set forth in claim 5 in which: the opposed contacting surfaces are parallel.
 11. In combination: a plate-like specimen; a length of spring wire bent at a point intermediate its ends to define a pair of generally S-shaped limbs positioned astraddle the specimen and biased into electrically conductive engagement therewith said limbs terminating in divergent feet cooperating with the specimen therebetween to stand the latter on edge; and means of encapsulating said specimen and said clip so as to leave the bend at the juncture between the limbs exposed for the connection of a conductor of electrical energy. 